First grain mash

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Thegribbs
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First grain mash

Post by Thegribbs »

Hey, yesterday I prepared the following mash-

8lb cracked feedstock corn
1.5lb light unmalted cracked barley
11.5L water

Is this okay for a first grain bill?

Mixed the grains then added the boiling water. Let it soak for a few hours in the fermentor wrapped in 2 sleeping bags. When it came down to 63*C I added one bag of enzymes from my local homebrew shop.
Left for 24 hours and then added 3/4 a packet of W-34/70 Lager yeast.
Before I added the yeast the mash smelt just like vomit. Is this normal?

I have done about 5 x 25L sugar based washes with turbo yeast and just wondering if this is the norm for grains?

I'm planning to distill in my homemade flactional still with the 1.5m of stainless scrubbers taken out. I tried it out with a sugar wash and it gave me 88% with very little smell. Will this work okay for whiskey? :oops:
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As-Ol-Joe
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Post by As-Ol-Joe »

None of my grain mashes have smelled like vomit.

How big of a bag of enzyme?
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junkyard dawg
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Post by junkyard dawg »

Ive had mashes develop that smell before. I found that raising the temps after mashing eliminated that problem. I usually bring it up close to boiling.
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Thegribbs
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mashing

Post by Thegribbs »

So at the stage where the grains are comboned with the water I raise the temp to near boiling? Because I DID pour boiling water in at a rate of approx. 1L per minute. That kept it at high temps for a fair while.
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BW Redneck
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Post by BW Redneck »

I think that after the conversion is over, you raise the mash back up to boiling, or so I've read.
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junkyard dawg
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Post by junkyard dawg »

Thats what I meant. I think pintoshine has a post that names that stinky bug...
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Thegribbs
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stinky bug

Post by Thegribbs »

Wouldn't that happen anyway when I distill? Otherwise I can Imagine quite a bit of ethanol dissappearing if I have to bring it up to boiling point.
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Rudi
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Post by Rudi »

Before the ferment and after the conversion there's no alcohol.same sort of deal as a wort boil when making beer.

I atempted a very similar mash it smelled like a combination of sweaty arse crack and day old dog vomit. The enzyme I got from the home brew shop I was gauranteed was alpha amalayse it was in fact (the name escapes me now but the one that breaks complex into simple sugars) It wasnt a success.
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wineo
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Post by wineo »

Unlike beer mashing,there is no need to do a boil,or even the sparge,or mash out stage.Most people add sugar to there grain mash to get the proper SG.You can do a all grain batch,but you will have to do a boil to get the gravity up,or you wont get much alchaol out of it.I just do my mash at 152f for an hour or two,and dump it in the fermenter while its still warm,and add 7 pounds of sugar to the warm grains.Once the sugar is disolved,I add more water,and pinch the yeast.I like to keep the enzymes going.If you heat it back up past 170f,You will denature the enzymes.
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Thegribbs
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oh well

Post by Thegribbs »

The yeast is already added. Silly of me really but the packet on the enzymes said it worked with the yeast durin fermentation. Maybe next time I just get some amylase.

This one ill just have to sit out and see how the end product tastes I guess. Maybe add some sugar to up the SG?
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junkyard dawg
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Post by junkyard dawg »

This one ill just have to sit out and see how the end product tastes I guess. Maybe add some sugar to up the SG?
Maybe spend some time learning the theory and practice of mashing. extract brewing does not teach you what you are needing to understand.
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Thegribbs
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stinky mash

Post by Thegribbs »

Has anyone actually distilled a "stinky mash". I did it today and some NASTY stuff came out. There were 2 different solvents that seperated, looked just like a lava lamp. I think I might make my 1st FLAVOURED wash rum.

Thanks for all your help.
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As-Ol-Joe
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Re: stinky mash

Post by As-Ol-Joe »

[quote="Thegribbs"]Has anyone actually distilled a "stinky mash". I did it today and some NASTY stuff came out. There were 2 different solvents that seperated, looked just like a lava lamp. I think I might make my 1st FLAVOURED wash rum.

:?: :?: :?:
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Thegribbs
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Post by Thegribbs »

Yeah I know!

Its like when I put in the enzymes it started making the terrible smell and whatever they produced killed the yeast. I really didn't see any major increase in the bubbling after I put in the yeast.

One of the two liquids was definitely a solvent, smelled like a mix of ethanol, acetone along with other chemical smells. I think the oily looking substance that floated on top smelled of burned wood, almost like an old ashtray.... :?
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blanikdog
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Post by blanikdog »

As-Ol-Joe wrote:None of my grain mashes have smelled like vomit.
On the other hand, some of my vomit has smelled of grain mash. But I'm only an aussie. :roll:

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alice
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Post by alice »

blanikdog wrote: But I'm only an aussie. :roll:
There's no such thing as ONLY an aussie :)
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HookLine
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Re: stinky mash

Post by HookLine »

Thegribbs wrote:Has anyone actually distilled a "stinky mash". I did it today and some NASTY stuff came out. There were 2 different solvents that seperated, looked just like a lava lamp. I think I might make my 1st FLAVOURED wash rum.

Thanks for all your help.
My first (and so far only) attempt at rum didn't make a stinky mash, but the distillate was revolting, completely contaminated by tails, even after a very slow third run through the pot column.

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4830

I finally got around to running this disaster through the reflux column to reclaim the ethanol, and it still has a distinct horrible taste to it, similar to what came out of the pot column, though not as strong. Whatever is in there is seriously potent crap. I have narrowed the possible causes down to the brown or dark brown sugar I used.

Gonna give it one more run through the reflux column to see if I can clean it up properly.
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